Stop mechanism for knitting machines



Nov. 6, 1923. I 1,473,580

A.K.HAUPTMANN STOP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 5. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 6, 1923.

UNITED 5 starts ADOLF K. HAUPTMANN, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; MARIA AUrTMAnu ADM'INISTRATRIX OF SAID ADOLF K. HAUPTMANN, nnonasnn.

sror MECHANISM FOR- KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed November 3, 1922. Serial Nof 598,833

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it known'that I, ADoLF' K. HAUPT- MANN, a citizen of the ing at the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Stop Mechanism for Knitting Machines, of which the following is a cation.

This invention, generally stated, relates to straight-bar knitting machines upon which full-fashioned hosiery or the like is manufactured and has more especial relation to an attachment therefor designed to prevent retrograde movement of the ma chine parts at a stopping period.

Practice dictates that in stopping a knitting machine of the type under considera tion there is a tendency of the machine parts to assume a retrograde or backward move ment. Specifically stated when'the starting rod of the machine is shifted to off position there is a tendency of the starting shaft to partially rotate in a retrograde manner which causes the thread carriers to jam the needles, among other things, resulting in the ruining of such work as may beupon the machine at the time.

The leading object of the present invention is to overcome this disadvantageous feature and provide an ventingretrograde movement of knitting machine parts during a stopping operation. A further object is to provide an eflicient ar rangement and connection of parts for at taining the results soughtby said leading object which may be readily assembled upon conventional straight-bar knitting machines without mechanical alteration thereof in any respect. A further object is to provide an arrangement and combination of parts which when adjusted to neutral position will permit of the starting shaft of the knitting being moved forward or backward by hand;

Other and further objects not at this time more specifically stated will appear from the description following.

The invention consists of the improvements hereinafter" described and finally claimed. I p

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connectlon with the accompanying United States, residattachment for prethat the wheel drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1, is a View in side elevation of an attachment embodying features of'the invention and attached to knitting machine parts.

Fig. 2, is a view in front elevation of ig.

1, certain oft-he parts being removed for the sake of clearer illustration, and

Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view, sectioned of certain of the parts shown at the lower portion of Fig. same in neutral position.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferredby me, since the same'has been found in practice to give satisfactory and a reliable results,

although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consistscan be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Since the attachment of the present in vention is assembled upon a conventional straight-bar knitting machine without mechanical change or alteration thereof illustration of such In the drawings a fixed and two movable parts of such machine are indicated however in order sembling of the attachment thereon. A designates what is termed in the trade as the starting shaft of a conventional straightbar knitting machine;f.-B designates the as the frame of the machine. Fixed to and rotatable with shaft A is a wheel the periph ery of which is grooved as'at 10. This wheel is made up of flanged sections 11--12 clamped together asby bolts 18 in order may be positioned upon shaft A without removal of any conventional knitting-machine parts. As shown in'Fig; 1, the web 14 of each section is cut away as at 15 in order that the bolts 13 may be secured in place and the web ofeach section is provided witha re-inforced' portion 16 into which said bolts 13 are screwed. The hub of one of said sections is tapped to accommodate set-screws 17,see' Fig. 2, so that the wheel as a whole may be clamped to 1, but showing the a machine is unnecessary.

to better understand the asprincipally .v

7 through base 19 shaft A. Clamped to the fixed part or frame C of the machine, as bybolt 18, is a fixed structure comprised of a base 19 which terminates in a pair of arms 20 which straddle the grooved wheel above described and engage, hook-fashion, the starting shaft A. That part of base 19 immediately beneath the grooved wheel inclines in a lateral direction, see Fig. 3, and is grooved in a similar direction, as at 21, in alignment with groove 10 of said wheel. Movable longitudinally and intersecting groove 21 is an endwise shiftable bolt 22 operatively connected, in a manner hereinafter to appear with starting rod B. Bolt 22 serves to limit the rearward movement of a spherical body, as a ball 23, accommodated between the groove 21 of base 19 and groove 10 of the wheel upon shaft A. In its forward movement the ball impinges against a cush ion in the form of a spiral spring 2i fixed to the wheel guard 25. This wheel guard is fixed to the forward portion of base 19, as by bolts 26, and partially encircles the grooved wheel as clearly shown in Fig. 1. In operation the starting shaft A normally moves in the direction of arrow o in Fig. 1, as does the grooved wheel thus causing ball 23 since it is in contact with the groove of said wheel to revolve in a similar direction with a tendency to move on ward against the action of spring 24. However both the spring andthe incline of the base serve to maintain the ball in contact with the bolt 22. Thusv when forward rotation ofshaft A is stopped any tendency thereof to retrograde movement, as indicated by arrow Z) in Fig.

1, causes the grooved wheel to impinge wedge-fashion upon ball 23 in its abutting relation with bolt 23 thus immediately holding shaft A against backward movement. Having fulcrumed relation, as at 27, with one of arms 20 is a lever 28 the lower end of which is forked as at 29 and engages the notched portion 30 of bolt 22 and the upper end of which is disc-shaped. as at 31,'and engages between a pair of split rings 32 fixed to starting rod B. By using split rings the same may be caused to engage over starting rod B without reniioval of any of the conventional parts employed in connection with such rod. It is thus obvious that shifting of rod B moves bolt endwise. Intermediate the ends of bolt 22 it is provided upon its forward face with a fixed stop 33. Vihen the rob B is shifted to neutral position this stop is caused to assume a position directly in the rear of ball 23 instead of upon one side or the other of said ball as in a starting or stopping position. This neutral position of parts is shown in Fig. 3. where it is seen that ball 23 is moved forward. and free of contact with the grooved wheel.- In this neutral position the shaft A. may be moved 'tent 34; is arrangedin base backward or forward by hand as in conventional knitting machines in order that the needles may be properly positioned with work being done. In order that the operator may readily determine neutral position of bolt 22 an adjustable, spring pressed de 19, see Fig. 3, and the underside of the bolt. is notched to cooperatively engage with said detent. normal shifting of the starting rod B the belt readily passes overthe detent and the stop 33 readily passes ball 23.

Because of the construction of the grooved wheel, arms 20, and the'arrangementof lever 28 with split rings 32 it is possible to assemble the above described stop mcch anism uponv a conventional straight-bar knittingmachine without in any way altering or adjusting the machine parts. This is important because the attachment may be manufactured and sold as a unit for im mediate and ready application to existing types of knitting machines. in order to:

maintain arms 20 in proper position upon shaft A the hook-like end 20- of each arm 20 may be connected to the flanged body part thereof by a bolt 20", see Fig. 1. r

flanged portion is re-inforced as at 20" in order to accept such bolt 20. Each arm 20 may be provided with an oil hole 20"" in order to provide for lubrication of shaft A.

It will now be apparent that I have de vised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as described in the statement of the invention and the above desc-ription'and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been foundin practice to giver satisfactory and reliable results,

it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification in/various particu:

lars without departing from the spirit or a starting shaft, a wheel fixed thereon-havmg a grooved periphery a fixed base hav-- scope of the invention or sacrificing any ing an inclined transversely disposed groove therein arranged beneath and in alignment with the wheel groove, a wheel guardcan ried by said base, a shiftable bolt carried by. said base in parallelism with said shaft; a ball arranged between the said grooves and a spring carried by said guard for normally pressing said ball against said bolt to arrest retrograde movement of said wheel.

2. Stop apparatus for straight-bar knitting machines comprising in combination, a starting shaft, a wheel. having a grooved periphery fixed to said shaft, afixed base.

having an. inclined, transversely disposed In the groove therein arranged beneath and in alignment with said wheel groove, a pair of arms extended upwardly from said base for engaging hook-fashion over said shaft and straddling said wheel, an endwise shiftable bolt having a stop mounted in said base, a starting rod, a lever one end of which is connected to said bolt and the other end to said rod and a ball arranged between and normally engaging both grooves but adapted to be held free of the wheel groove by said stop. 7 3. Stop apparatus for straight-bar lmitting machines comp-rising in combination a starting shaft, a starting rod, a fixed frame part, a wheel having a grooved periphery fixed to said shaft, a base clamped to said fixed frame part said base terminating in a pair of arms, which straddle said wheel and engage said shaft hook-fashion, an endwise slidable bolt having a stop arranged in said base in parallelism to said shaft, a grooved way in said base which inclines toward said bolt, a ball arranged between the wheel and base groove, a guard for said wheel carried by said base, a spring for pressing said ball against said bolt and a lever fulcrumed to one of said arms and connecting with said starting rod and said bolt for shifting said stop 111 the path of said ball. 1 Y 4. A device of the character stated comprising a two-part wheel having a grooved periphery adapted to be clamped to a start- 7 ing shaft, a base having a pair of hookshaped arms for straddling said wheel and engaging over the starting shaft, a bolt said bolt in alignment with the wheel groove, a ball arranged between said grooves and normally tending to abut against said bolt and means for shifting said bolt to cause said stop to lie in the path of said ball and free of the wheel groove.

5. A construction as described, in claim 4:, having in addition carried by the base for cooperatively engaging with said bolt when said stop is positioned in the path of said ball.

6. A construction as described in claim 4, having in addition a wheel guard secured to said base said guard carrying a spiral spring for normally pressing said ball against said bolt.

' construction as described in claim 4, characterized by the parts of said wheel being secured together by bolts the Web of said wheel being cut away to accommodate the bolt heads and also re-inforced to accept the bolt ends.

8. A construction as described in claim 4, characterized by said arms having oil holes for shaft lubricating purposes.

9. A construction as described in claim 4:, characterized by the free ends of said arms being clamped to the body parts of said arms by means of bolts.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

ADOLF K. HAUPTMANN. 7

shaft, a groove in maintain, same 7 a spring pressed detent 

